Seeing Alana about the ship was the worst. Not because he blamed her for anything. Not in the least. The problem was she blamed herself. Whenever he or Trypp saw her, she would apologize over and over, and nothing they could say would get her to stop. In the end Motega had screamed at her the last time, “I can’t help you!” He recognized that had not been constructive.
Since then he’d mainly spent time in their small cabin, three hammocks still hanging there, the same as the crossing over, not even visiting Vakaka, who was chained in the bilge.
He crept around the ship in the morning, getting some supplies when he knew Alana would be on deck training with Fin. He couldn’t blame her for getting on with things. Fuck, it would probably do him good to get into a fight.
“Heh,” said Trypp from his hammock across the narrow cabin. “Do you remember when he punched that door in the Creaking Arm in Carlburg? And he got it stuck there?”
Motega smiled at the memory, glad for a moment’s distraction. They’d been tossing around memories in recent days, and maybe, just maybe, it was helping to fill the gap. “Yeah. That was a good scrap. I remember…” He paused as a chuckle escaped him. “I remember he ripped the door off its hinges when he couldn’t pull his hand out and still kicked everyone’s arse. Used it like a bloody shield.”
Trypp was silent for a moment before he asked, “What was that fight about anyway?”
Motega knew the answer, but he choked on the words. His eyes welled up and a lump manifested in his throat. It took him a minute to force it down and croakily answer, “Someone said you and me shouldn’t be there. A black man, and a savage. He got pretty fucking angry.” A tear escaped from Motega’s eye and slipped down his cheek.
“Oh, yeah.” Trypp took a shuddering breath. “By Marlth, he was a good man. Better than you or me.”
Motega closed his eyes and nodded. Maybe the memories weren’t helping after all.
“Mot!” cried Trypp in alarm, and Motega’s eyes shot open. “Can you see your sister?”
Neenahwi floated in the space between the hammocks, thin and ethereal. Her mouth moved but he couldn’t hear anything. Gradually she became more defined, though still little more than a ghost in appearance, and thankfully, audible.
“Brother. Trypp, it is good you are here too.” Neenahwi looked around. “Where is Florian?”
Motega sat up in the hammock, his legs dangling in the air like a child on a swing. He wiped his eyes and tried to collect himself enough to whisper the words.
“He’s gone. Pyrfew soldiers killed him.” His eyes bore into the apparition of his sister, anger rising in his voice. “They took the reliquary and left Ioth on fire. Tell me you’ve got a way to make Llewdon pay.”
Neenahwi’s face fell as she heard the news, her hands holding her head as if to protect her from the pain. Eventually she spoke, her voice quavering. “I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. I know what he meant to you both.” She moved around in a circle, as if she was pacing in thought, though she floated a foot off the wooden floor.
“Fuck! I can’t believe it.” She looked back at Motega. “We can talk about it more when I see you but we’ll get our revenge. I have bad news too and I don’t have much time. You have to know, Kingshold has fallen. Grey works for Pyrfew. She’s put a shapeshifter in Mareth’s place; no one even realizes. I’ve got the real Mareth, but he’s not well.”
“What happened?” asked Motega. “What are we going to do?”
“I’ll tell you everything later. I’m using too much mana to talk to you. You can’t go back to Kingshold. You have to go to the Dwarves. Tell the Admiral you have to stop in the bay near Skargness to pick me up. Look for three rocky outcroppings in the sea joined by a natural bridge of land. I’ll be there on the beach. Take a boat. Bring Alana but leave Crews behind.”
“Why? Do you think he works for Pyrfew?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I need to start being more careful. In any case, I doubt he’s going to want to stay away from Kingshold. Just go there and meet me. And then we’re going home, Motega. We’re going home and we’re going to stop them.”
“Home?” asked Motega. “You have another ship?”
But Neenahwi was already fading away. He couldn’t hear what she was trying to say. And then she was gone.
Trypp looked at him, his exhaustion plain in the way he held himself, his face aghast at the message they had just heard. “What the fuck is going on?”
Motega shrugged, as perplexed as his friend, struggling to process that Kingshold had fallen and the many unanswered questions that it triggered. He closed his eyes to stop the barrage of his thoughts, just wanting to lie down.
“I dunno. But it sounds like we lost.”
Call to Action
Thank you for joining me on this return back to the Jeweled Continent. I hope you enjoyed it, though they have come back to earth with a significant bump after the joy of Kingshold. I would appreciate you leaving a few remarks or comments on Amazon or Goodreads, and of course, telling your friends the good old-fashioned way. It’s this reader led communication that helps to spread the word and get others interested in trying this book.
You can sign up for my newsletter to be notified of future releases, opportunities to become a beta reader, and behind-the-scenes discussion of what went into the making of Kingshold. Also, if you want to drop me a line, please do. My email address is [email protected].
P.S.
I can’t leave it at that. Motega may be right that they lost these battles, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they have lost the war. It is to the Wild Continent we go next, the story continuing in Tales of Ioth. I hope you’ll be happy to see Kyle again and their most unusual means of travel.
Glossary
Kingshold Districts and Supervisors
Fishtown - Eldrida
Warehouse - Gonal
Central Market - Aldo
Docks - Colbert
Garden - Hertha
Cherry Tree - Jules
Fourwells - Margaret
Golden - Geary
Lance - Row
Redguard - Ifig
Whiteguard - Garet
Inner Narrows - Dyer
Outer Narrows - Lud
Four Points - Lowell
Garmond - Yetta
Bottom Run - Denley
Woodton - Odam
Randall’s Addition - Nara
Arloth’s Acre - Paine
Beggar’s Point - Medwyn
Cast of Characters
ACTASSI SANFRATELLO: Ioth Assembly Member
AEBUR: Former Spymaster General and traitor to Edland
AIOLA: Sister of Florian
ALANA: Special Liaison to the Kingshold Districts
ALBERT: King of Hyfil
AMBROSI MENAPACE: Speaker of the Ioth Assembly
ARABELLE OF AMTETH: Ambassador
ARCHIMANDRITE: Administrative leader of the Church of Arloth
ARKEL: Treasurer of Edland
BARAX: Demon queen, trapped in the mortal world by Neenahwi
BARTHOLOMEW: Artisan of the subtle arts of persuasion and inquisition
BHAGA (Captain): Pyrfew naval captain
BORS: Squad member of the Ravens
BRANCHING TREE: Giant. Messenger from The Matron
BREAM: Second in command to Uthridge of the Edland armies
CHALICE (Lady): Managing partner of the Hollow Syndicate, rescuer of Neenahwi and Motega
CHATTERWICK (Major): Commander of the Redpool garrison
CHERRY: Squad member of the Ravens
CRABS: Squad member of the Ravens
CREWS: Admiral and Sea Marshall
DARRAIL: Governor of Redpool
DAWNAL: Second Admiral of the Edland fleet
DILLIE: Daughter of Gwil and Owen
DOLPH: Former bodyguard to Mareth
DOVE: Spymaster
DUG: Squad member of the Ravens
DUKE OF NORTHFIELD: Brother of King Roland, P
ienzan duke
ECHA: Member of the Devoted
EDEN (Lord): Savior of Redsmoke, war hero, formerly richest man in Edland. Banished
EGYED: Dwarf, ambassador of the deep people, Keybearer of Unedar Halt
ELKIN: Former chief of the Wolfclaw tribe, Motega and Neenahwi’s great-grandfather
ERYRLAW: An Ancient. Keeper of eagles.
FELIS: Member of the Devoted
FINABRIA: Originally of Ioth; student at the Hollow House
FLORIAN: Friend to Motega and Trypp, originally introduced by Jyuth. Veteran of foreign wars, including the liberation of Redpool, mercenary for hire
FOLSTENCROFT: Administrator
FOREST: Squad member of the Ravens
FORGER: Elected leader of the dwarves of Unedar Halt
GONAL: Merchant, friend of Mareth, Master of the Merchants Guild
GREY (Chancellor): Lord Hoxteth’s widow, financer of Mareth’s election campaign, Chancellor of the Realm
GREYTOOTH: Shaman of the Wolfclaw clan
GRIMES: Commander of the palace guard and city watch
GWILENHIN: (Gwil) Administrator
HOSKIN: Former Lord Chancellor of Edland, death apparently by suicide
IOB: Son of Gwil and Owen
JILL: Maid to Alana
JOE: Squad member of the Ravens
JULES: Owner and landlady of the Royal Oak
JYUTH: Wizard, founder of Edland, adopted father of Neenahwi
KANAVEEN: Wolfclaw champion and protector of Neenahwi and Motega after the flight. Lives in the wilderness of Edland
KAROLE: Landlord of the Strawberry Wine in Hyfil
KATTERICK: Current Ambassador to Ioth
KING ROLAND: Final King of Edland, husband to Queen Tulip, headless
KIRJATH: Student of Myank
LAI GIOFRE: Peddler of pipes and arranger of jobs
LANGIT ZERELLI: Ioth Assembly Member
LLEWDON: Emperor of Pyrfew, wizard, ancient
MAHO: Member of the Devoted
MAMES MAMI: A priest
MARETH BOLLINGSMEAD: Lord Protector. Former bard, former adventurer, former pirate
MARN: Orphan. Sister to Toad
MIDNIGHT: Squad member of the Ravens
MOLEY: Squad member of the Ravens
MORRIS: Sergeant of the Ravens
MORRISSEY: Squad member of the Ravens. Miserable bastard
MOTEGA: Warrior and archer of renown from the wild continent, brother to Neenahwi, mercenary for hire
MOUSE: Alchemist. Tamer of Draco-Turtles. Guest of the dwarves of Unedar Halt
MYANK: Wizard, teacher of Jyuth
NAPONA DIPALLO: Administrator of the Armory in Ioth
NEENAHWI: Of the Wolfclaw clan, wizard, adopted daughter of Jyuth and older sister to Motega
NIJIL: First Minister of Pyrfew
OWEN: Craftsman. Husband to Gwil
PERCIVAL: Personal assistant to the Lord Protector
PETRA: Special Liaison to the Edland Guilds
RAWLEY: Butler of the Edland ambassador’s residence in Ioth
RIDGTON: Former Sea Marshall of Edland
RIDWAN: Student of Myank
SERENUS: Student of Myank
SHARAVIN: Mother of the Twilight Exiles
SHAREF: Former chief of the Wolfclaw tribe, Motega and Neenahwi’s father
SHEP’D: Leader of the Devoted
SILKA NIE: Merchant of Ioth, originally of Redpool
SYD: Squad member of the Ravens
TAAFE: The First Defender of Pyrfew
TARRA: Student of Myank
TASA MARCHIONDRA: Owner of the Marchiondran Mercantile
THE CARETAKER: Custodian of Myank’s tower in Redpool. Holder of the broom
THE LIBRARIAN: A wight
THE MATRON: Mystic leader of the Giants of Wespar
THE SAINT: Child. Spiritual leader of the Church of Arloth
TOAD: Orphan. Brother of Marn
TRYPP: Friend to Motega and Florian, former thief with the Twilight Exiles
TUFT: (King) Neenahwi’s cat
UTHRIDGE: Lord General of Edland
VAKAKA: An Alfjarun
VISSOK OF SKARIA: Ambassador
WILPERT: Student of Myank
WOODELL: First Lieutenant on The Drake
Acknowledgments
This has been a difficult book for me to write. Not because I wasn’t excited to sit down in front of the computer every day and crank out words, but because of what I’ve done to a couple of characters that I love. You may be shocked to hear, that there were actually two other major characters in Ioth that were going to kick the bucket in my outline, but they weren’t done with me so we will see them again. I don’t believe in killing characters for shock value, or because that’s what everyone expects in this post Game of Thrones world. There were bound to be casualties, because these characters are trying to do something really hard; fight an unknown enemy after being dropped into the middle of schemes that have been years in the making. I don’t know how you would succeed in a situation like that, and unfortunately our heroes haven’t.
Yet.
And though we raise a glass to the fallen, for those still standing (even though they may need others to lean on for a while), what doesn’t kill them will make stronger and they have new journeys to undertake.
The story will continue in Tales of Ioth, and if my current pace can continue, I hope to have that out around the end of 2019. Tales of Ioth will be another collection of short stories, though four or five of them (depending on how many make it) will tell the tale of how our heroes travel to the Wild Continent. And don’t worry, there’s not a ship in sight.
Well, I’ve probably written enough without actually saying thank you to anyone! So, I’d better get on with it. First of all, I want to call out some of the awesome fantasy bloggers out there who have supported The Wildfire Cycle so far; Jason Aycock, Justine Bergman, Briargrey (r/fantasy), Nick Borelli, Chrissy (from the returncart), Jay Clementi, Daryl Graves, Olivia Hofer, Kristen Superstardrifter, Jennifer (Bunnyreads), Lukasz, Calvin Park, Jordan Rose, Timy Takács, Esme Weatherwax, Lynn Williams, Wol, and any others that I may have apologetically neglected to call out.
One of the most wonderful things I’ve encountered is the support from fellow authors; thanks to Jon Auerbach, Angel Boord, Dave De Burgh, Josh Erikson, Bjorn Larssen, Devin Madson, Richard Nell, Kayleigh Nicol, Carol Park, Kevin Potter, Phil Parker, Clayton Snyder, William Ray, Travis Riddle, Phil Williams, and a special thanks to Mark Lawrence for organizing the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off.
As ever, the book in your hands would not have been possible without the help and support of a number of people. Firstly, my wife Haneen and daughter Liberty, putting up with me getting up at five in the morning every day to write.
A HUGE shout of thanks to my editor, Bethan May. Beth is a joy to work with; challenging me to be a better writer as well as acting as fact checker extraordinaire (I did not know that ebony can’t float).
I’d also like to send another massive thank you to Matt Barber, Tam Dudgeon, Ryan Ehrlich, Esposadek, Patrick Kansa, James Polledri, Travis Riddle, Andrew Rimmer, Joe Smith, Mark Watkins and Bernie Zimmermann for their immense help as beta readers once again. In conjunction with Beth, they’ve given me enormous feedback to help get the book where it is today.
And last, but not least, Jeff Brown my illustrator and cover designer who has once again produced the amazing cover to this book.
Thanks again to everyone.
D.P. Woolliscroft
May, 2019
About the Author
Born in Derby in England on the day before mid-summers day, David Peter Woolliscroft was very nearly magical. If only his dear old mum could have held on for another day. But magic called out to him over the intervening years, with many a book being devoured for its arcane properties. David studied Accounting at Cardiff University where numbers weaved their own kind of magic and he has since been a successful business leader
in the intervening twenty years.
Adventures were had. More books were devoured. And then one day David had read enough that the ideas he had kept bottled up needed a release valve. And thus, rising out of the self-doubt like a phoenix at a clicky keyboard, a writer was born.
David, his wife Haneen, and daughter Liberty all live with their mini goldendoodle Rosie in Princeton, NJ. David is one of the few crabs to escape the crabpot.
Ioth, City of Lights Page 48